1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an X-ray machine for forming an image of a female breast (mammography). In particular, the invention relates to a machine for performing screening tests efficiently.
2. Description of Related Art
For performing examinations of female breasts, X-ray machines are known in which a person to be examined is positioned on a patient table. A machine of this kind is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,480,565. A shortening of examination time is made possible by X-ray machines such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,447, in which a person to be examined stands in front of the X-ray machine. From U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0092059 another X-ray machine is known, in which a radiation emitter and a plate -shaped detector can be moved along a semi-circle around a breast to be examined. Here, exposures could be made at various positions from various angles. With this prior art, it is of disadvantage that, on the one hand, resolution is limited by the plate-shaped detector and that, on the other hand, a relatively long exposure time is required because the radiation emitter and the detector need to be newly positioned between individual exposures. Therefore, an arrangement of this kind is suitable for screening tests only to a limited extent.